13 Early Signs of Pregnancy When It’s Too Early to Pee on a Stick

This bloated feeling could be from the chips you ate last night. Knowing how your brain works, you probably wonder about the early signs of pregnancy.

Pregnancy is probably one of my biggest fears. Sure, I want kids, but do I want them now? Hell, no! I’m at the point in my life where I could wrap my partner’s dick in a car tire and still think I’m pregnant. So, I’ve gotten good at learning the early signs of pregnancy.

It’s probably because I’m now entering that “when are you having babies?” phase of my life, which trust me, is a terrifying experience. I remember times when I would buy two or three pregnancy tests, take them all, be given negative results, yet still think that the odds are I’m pregnant.

13 early signs of pregnancy to keep an eye on

To a guy, that may sound insane, but if you’re a lady, you know exactly how I feel. I really do blame TLC’s show I Didn’t Know I was Pregnant. Way to go, guys. Way to subtly slip that nightmare into my head. But if you really were pregnant, you would see the signs. Not the signs that show you drank a Pepsi and now feel bloated, but actual early signs of pregnancy.

Keep an eye out for these signs.

#1 Missing period. Though this is usually the first thing women notice, there are many factors that contribute to a missing period. Of course, if you recently had sex without a condom, your suspicions aren’t unreasonable. If you are pregnant, you would miss your period.

#2 Sore breasts. This is usually another frequent symptom for women who are pregnant. But, it’s also a frequent symptom for women about to start their periods too. So, if you feel tender breasts, give it a couple days to see if your period is just late. What you’ll notice in your breasts, if pregnant, is soreness and the darkened areolas.

#3 Nausea. There’s this notion that the early signs of pregnancy shows morning sickness. Truthfully, many women do. But, you can experience feeling nauseated at any time of the day and be pregnant. Whether it’s in the morning, afternoon or evening—it doesn’t matter. So, if you feel like you need to puke throughout the day, take a pregnancy test.

#4 You’re bloated. This one is a tricky symptom. I mean, how many of us experience bloat after eating a piece of pie or a turkey dinner? Exactly. Plus, bloating arises before your period. This is caused by hormonal changes in your body which slows your digestive system down, causing the dreaded bloat.

#5 Your temperature rises. No, this isn’t the intro to a Nelly song. If you suddenly feel your core temperature rising, that may be an early sign of pregnancy. However, this rise in your body temperature could also be from exercising or hot weather. But if it’s neither of these two, well, go ahead and pee on the stick because it is one of those early signs of pregnancy. [Read: Withdrawal method: How reliable is this birth control method]

#6 You’re moody. Moody? Me? Never. Actually, I’m offended this is even a symptom. Sadly, this is an actual symptom, but we can live in denial, it’s okay.

Mood swings usually occur due to the hormonal shift that’s happening in the body. What happens is that it affects the neurotransmitters in the brain and, well, you become moody. One moment, you’ll be happy and then next, you feel like your life is over. But, you should also know these mood swings occur before your period as well. [Read: 10 reasons why sex can never really be sex]

#7 You’re peeing… a lot. If you notice you pee more than often, you should be wary of that. Increased urination is very common for women who are pregnant between six to eight weeks. Because the baby grows inside your body, it presses down on your bladder, thus making you pee more often.

#8 You’re feeling tired. You’re usually never this tired, but today and yesterday and the day before yesterday—you’re exhausted. If you suddenly feel fatigued, this could be as early as the first week after conception, this may be one of the early signs of pregnancy. If you haven’t done anything different from your daily routine, I would take a quick pregnancy test. [Read: 14 really quick stress busters to recharge your mind]

#9 Light spotting or bleeding. You may think that because you had a light period, you’re not pregnant. But this is the crazy thing, you could still be pregnant. If you experience light spotting or bleeding instead of a normal period, go get tested.

This is usually one of the most common signs of early pregnancy, usually between 6 to 12 days after conception. When this spotting occurs, it’s called implantation bleeding. If you’re trying to get pregnant, congratulations. If not, you don’t want any implantation to happen. [Read: My girlfriend is pregnant – How do I save this relationship?]

#10 Sudden acne. Women usually get a breakout right before their period. Now, this also happens when you’re pregnant. Usually, women either have the “pregnancy glow” or the sudden attack of acne. I know, the fear of the latter is in all of us.

This is caused due to the hormonal shift happening in the body. If you’re not used to getting acne, even before your period, this could mean your body is going through a bigger transition than just your period.

#11 Sudden headaches. If you are pregnant, your body experiences an entire shift of hormones released inside the body. The sudden rise of these hormones cause women to have headaches due to this change.

#12 Cravings. The foodie in me isn’t totally upset with this symptom. A sudden desire to stuff my face with chocolate? Okay! But in all seriousness, if you find yourself repulsed by foods you normally love or suddenly in love with foods you used to be indifferent to, consider that a sign.

#13 The pregnancy test is positive. Well, if the test says you are, there’s a very high chance you are. Though, make sure you take the test at least one week after your scheduled period. Home pregnancy tests usually aren’t sensitive enough to detect anything before that.